TEHRAN — Citizens of the capital consume some 12 million liters of gasoline each day, chief of Tehran department of environment Mohammad Hossein Bazgir has said.

Provided that vehicles are standard and gasoline quality is high this amount of fuel could cause pollution in the city, Mehr quoted Bazgir as saying. 

“Tehraners’ lifestyle is also playing an important role in worsening air pollution as the amount of fuel consumed in Tehran in a day is equal to the amount used in 10 provinces of the country,” he regretted. 

On average Iranians consumed 79.7 million liters of gasoline over the first 9 months of the current Iranian calendar year started on March 21, 2017 while Tehraners alone account for almost one seventh of gasoline consumption of the country. 

It is believed that cars are the major cause of air pollution as they contribute to production of 80 percent of hazardous pollutants. Tehran is grappling with air pollution for years which gets worse by the onset of cold seasons and disrupt the citizens’ lives. 

National environment fund can mitigate air pollution

In line with measures taken to tackle Tehran air pollution Houman Liaqati, director of Iran’s national environment fund has said that the fund can play a major part in fighting air pollution.

Established on 2014, the fund aims to protect the environment by decreasing the pollutants, restoring natural resources, and promoting sustainable use of them, Liaqati said, adding, with collecting the fines, green taxes, and public donations the fund can help protecting the environment.

If well budgeted the fund can facilitate development of new, ecofriendly technologies and industries, he added. He further expressed hope that by giving the fund more power to play its role it will succeed in addressing environmental predicaments such as air pollution. 

MQ/MG